It’s time to hold government and big business accountable for climate change

Last year was the hottest year in recorded history. This is according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

To be more technical, it was the hottest year since 1880 when temperatures started being recorded.

So what does this mean? It means my ski season has been underwhelming, I’m not using the new coat I got for Christmas, and there isn’t constantly salt on my car. But it does mean a lot more than that. It means we’re headed down a dangerous path.

Though there is a lot that can be done on an individual basis, it’s almost past the point where that can make an impact. Yes, it’s great to recycle and carpool, and we should be doing that, but a lot of the damage is being done by big businesses.

Power plants are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in this country. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, they are responsible for 32 percent of emissions in the U.S.

Now, I get supply and demand. Nobody is going to stop charging their iPhone or skip their favorite show or sit in the dark at night. Electricity is going to be sold, but there are cleaner ways than burning coal to produce electricity.

The emerging clean-energy movements are being hindered. California County is trying to tax large solar panel plants in the middle of a desert. Oklahoma is going to tax people who have found ways to produce their own energy. Even if a person doesn’t think climate change happens, coal and oil are finite sources of energy, and there is no reason to hinder wind and solar energy production.

The U.S. is the leading consumer of oil as we burn 19.5 million barrels per day, according to thinkglobalgreen.org. Twenty percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. are from industry, and 28 percent are from transportation.

Again, supply and demand contribute from the industry side, and individuals can cut down on their contribution by carpooling. But even if we as consumers are buying products and filling up our tanks, why shouldn’t we be holding big business and government accountable?

I was on Colorado State’s campus last year, and there were people there advocating for climate change at the government level. In Fort Collins. The No. 15 city in the country for clean air, according to an American Lung Association study in 2013. I had never seen that in Utah before a few weeks ago with the clean air rallies across the state.

If global warming isn’t a reality to all Utahns, then surely the lack of visibility in the valley is.

Cache Valley and Salt Lake City are notorious for their inversions in the winter, which make going into the mountains not just a fun activity, but an escape from the toxic air in valley. But hey, it’s just our lungs, right? This country is burying itself in pollution, but hey, it’s just air, right?

Yes, as individuals we should be carpooling and recycling. However, we also should be holding our government accountable for preserving the air and holding big businesses accountable for cutting down their pollution. A small step in cleaner energy for an electrical plant is the same step that hundreds of individuals could take. But hey, it’s just the earth right?

— Jeffrey Dahdah is a junior studying journalism. He aspires to report overseas. Please send comments to dahdahjm@gmail.com or on Twitter @dahdahusu.